Breaking Down Disability Myths: Fostering Respect and Inclusion through Companionship and Community

As your host, Tracie Corll, I'm peeling back the layers of disability narrative like never before, challenging the tired tropes that have clung to our culture's understanding of people with disabilities. Get ready for a heartfelt journey through history and scripture, as we confront the pity-driven mindset and replace it with a vision grounded in value and purpose, affirming that every individual's story is unique.

This episode cuts through the fog of misconceptions, from the patronizing to the well-meaning myths that pigeonhole individuals as inspirations or eternally childlike. We tackle the need for authentic companionship that eclipses empty sympathy, fostering an environment where saying "hello" is more than a greeting—it's a statement of respect and recognition. Walk with me as we advocate for compassion and inclusion, striving for a community where everyone belongs and the contributions of people with disabilities are celebrated. Join the conversation and be part of the change.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Hi, my name is Tracy Corle and welcome to Indispensable People. I'm a wife, mom, teacher, pastor and missionary, and I believe that every person should have the opportunity to know Christ, row in Him and serve Him with the gifts that he has given, no matter their ability. Over 65 million Americans have a disability. That's 25% of the population. However, over 80% of them are not inside the walls of our church. Let's dive into those hard topics biblical foundations, perceptions and world-changing ideas. Hey, hey, welcome to another episode of Indispensable People. I'm so glad that you have joined us and I am ready to talk about one of my most favorite things.

Speaker 1: 1:02

A lot of times, I will say this in a training with a group of people, whether they are church volunteers or community volunteers or whatever capacity leaders, pastors and this usually gets a response. I believe the reason that the response comes is because it is a revelation, a new thought and maybe, to some extent, a bit of a conviction, because a lot of times, when we approach individuals with disabilities, we approach them with pity. We think of them as less than we think of them as incompetent. We think of them the laundry list could go on, if I'm honest, but no one really admits to the fact that that's the way they think, but actions would show that that is actually a true depiction of what they think, based on the way that they treat people. Throughout history of the United States, the communities of people with disabilities, inequality, discrimination that's nothing new. This is a long going thing.

Speaker 1: 2:22

There is a television show and I know I've mentioned it before that it was based in England. Actually, the show it is about midwifery. I definitely just said that wrong, but midwifery is probably how they would say it in England, no-transcript Anyhow. They showed the lives of people in the 50s and the 60s and the 70s and how these set of ladies would go out and help people in the community with any kind of illnesses, but also specifically to deliver their babies. And at one point there was a new anti-nausea medicine that was prescribed for women and this is actually a very true thing. That happened and that medicine actually caused deformities in the babies and what in one episode what they did was it's so hard to even. I can't fathom this, but when one of the babies was born and they were born without arms and legs they actually like the baby was breathing fine. There was nothing else wrong with the baby except for the missing arms and legs. They actually put the baby by an open window in winter to let it die.

Speaker 1: 4:05

These types of things are rooted back to years ago and, listen, you may think that time is long ago. That is not how we think of people, that's not how we talk of people, but I can tell you that maybe on the flip side of that, doctors are offering for women to abort their babies well before they even know the fullness or understanding of what their disability may or may not be. And I could tell you the story of a lady that I went to college with. She was an older student, and by older she was probably in her 30s, just not your typical right out of high school student, and she had been married and she was getting ready to have a baby and the testing that she had done told her that her baby would most likely have Down syndrome and the doctors talked about all the options that she could approach and this woman prayed and prayed and prayed and refused the option that the doctor offered her and she had her baby, who was born without disability at all. So we live in a world that we've come a far, far away, don't get me wrong, but we still have some issues in which we just need to go back to the word of God and see what he says about who he created and that there's a purpose and that he will be glorified through their lives.

Speaker 1: 5:45

But let's get back into the misconceptions and stigmas, the discrimination that has come on to people with disabilities. But many of it is rooted in those misconceptions within culture. They often lead to divide and contribute to the unintentional and intentional discrimination of people with disabilities. A government survey once checked into the public perceptions of people with disabilities and found that most people it says most of the questioned people blah blah, blah blah. I said that wrong. Let me retract, go again. A government survey into the public perceptions of people with disabilities found that most of those question perceived people with disabilities as less capable than the non-disabled. Research by Activity Alliance also found that less than half of people say that they know someone with a disability, despite the fact that one in five people have a disability in some way. So young and old are striving to grow and learn not just how to live with their disability but how the world treats them by having one, because in some cases that's almost the most difficult portion, right, the most difficult comes from how the world operates and allows us and those with people with disabilities in it to live. The navigation of that is really difficult. So we're just gonna go over some of those misconceptions of disability. We're gonna, you know, truth or myth kind of a situation and all people with disabilities are similar. Well, that's an absolute myth. We can't lump all people with disabilities in one category.

Speaker 1: 7:58

The concept of disability is so vast and varying that there is no way that one person is like the next. I'm sure that you've heard it said, but they say once you've met one person with a disability, or one person with autism or one person with ADHD, you've just met that one person. Why? Because our God is so creative that he not only allowed for that disability, but he also gave them a personality and he also gave them an environment in which they grew up in, and so one person is one person and no one are exactly alike. The other statement that's made people with disabilities are an inspiration. That's a myth, and you might be going oh, that sounds harsh. Why would you say something like that? Here's the thing. One person with a disability said this many times, many a times wondered how can I be an inspiration for general things or chores that I do in my daily life, like, for instance, going on a stroll, doing exercises, cooking or shopping? If a person with a disability inspires you, there should be some valid context to it. They don't want to be considered an inspiration just for living life normally as possible right, and it says however, some people with disabilities have done something well beyond his or her capacity to achieve an exceptional goal in life and they should be called an inspiration. But they don't want to be called an inspiration for getting dressed, cleaning their living room or cooking a meal.

Speaker 1: 9:47

Another misconception people with disabilities are childlike.

Speaker 1: 9:52

That's a myth. First of all, we need to be very, very careful in lumping together all people with disabilities. There are individuals with physical disabilities that do not have intellectual disabilities. You saying that they have a childlike disability, you are lumping them into something that doesn't fit them at all. So the mindset generally thinks that a differently-abled person never grows mentally in age. That's not true. It is offensive to call an adult with a disability a child. No matter the intellectual capacity or interest of a person, they should be treated at their age level. That upholds their dignity and you don't take the chance of speaking down to someone, this goes back to thinking of them as a less than right. So we're back to why.

Speaker 1: 10:57

What is that statement that I mentioned earlier, that I love and that I use and that potentially brings conviction? It is having compassion over pity, because pity blocks purpose. And that is where we're going with understanding these myths. We can battle those misconceptions, battle those perceptions, change up the course of what we're doing. But if we don't understand that, we can have a capacity of compassion for people, which means that we can understand where they are, that we can come alongside of them and we can live life out with them, but we don't leave them spiritually, personally, where they are because we assume that they are childlike, that we assume that all people with disabilities are similar, that we assume that, just because they are taking in breath, that they are an inspiration, we don't want to make those assumptions. We don't want to put something on them that they are not. We want to see them through the lens of God's eyes.

Speaker 1: 12:13

Here's some other things that we need to consider. In our myths with others, people with disabilities should be seen as a target of charity and mercy. Now, having compassion for someone is not on the same level as caring for them. We can care for someone and have consideration for them. Maybe we have sympathy for them. Sympathy sees someone where they're at and feels bad. Compassion sees somewhere more. They're at and they walk alongside of them. That's the difference. So just because you see someone with a disability doesn't mean they need your money. They may be very well off. It doesn't mean that they need you to offer up clothing or food or some other. Not all people with disabilities come from a lower economic background. Here's the deal. Disability impacts every age stage, socioeconomic and cultural background that you can find, so we need to understand. It kind of boils down to something as simple as this If they need something, they'll ask, and let's leave it at that.

Speaker 1: 13:29

Another myth is don't communicate directly with the person with the disability For sure, a myth A lot of times. People with disabilities maybe they will have communication difficulties. However, not every person with a disability has issues with communication. So let's not assume that. I actually have a t-shirt that I got for a training that I did last year that says start with hello, because one of the biggest questions that people submitted when they registered for the training was how do I start a conversation with someone with a disability? I don't know what they know, I don't know how they communicate, and so safety first. And safety first says just start with hello and go from there. They will help you to see how to drive that conversation, but I am always going to start my conversation with someone with a disability just how I would anyone else. Here's the deal.

Speaker 1: 14:39

Compassion should always win out. Sympathy, although good for some situations, is not a long term way of looking at someone with a disability. Sympathy is an unacceptable way of looking at someone with a disability. And we can tackle the myths and dispel the misconceptions. Then we can move on to compassion. We can live life out with somebody, walk it out with them. Disability can be a matter of perception when it depends on how we treat someone. The world should change their outlook towards disability and people need to do away with the misconceptions. It's high time we can create a little bit more of an equal platform so that all can be included and all can be a part of the body of Christ, so that God can be glorified through each and every one of us. Do I know everything about disability ministry? Do I have all the answers. Have I done everything perfectly? I've absolutely not, but we are going to continue this conversation so that people of all abilities can have the opportunity to know Christ, grow in him and serve him with the gifts that he has given them.